Gel-X's objective is to extend the shelf life of meat products, so that their export has a longer time to reach their destinations.
Gel-X, the technology of researchers from the School of Medicine, Javier Enrione and Paulo Díaz, became the new spin-off of the University; a company that starts its way out of the laboratory hand in hand with Agrosuper.
With the support of UANDES Innovation, which accompanied the researchers throughout the process, the fifth spin-off was created with the objective of extending the shelf life of meat products, so that they can be exported for a longer period of time before reaching their destination.
Gel-X is a biomaterial produced from salmon skin waste, which is subjected to a treatment in which a hydrogel is obtained that acts as a base. Specific modifications are applied to it in order to provide it with the necessary properties for its purpose.
Anil Sadarangani, Chief Innovation Officer, said that "this new spin off of the Universidad de los Andes reflects the work that has been done with researchers for more than a decade, strengthened with public funds from Corfo and ANID and the confidence of our private investors to scale up from the laboratory to market conditions.".
Javier Enrione, Gel-X researcher and vice rector for research, said that this spin-off is the result of a long research and development process, which began with a fundamental research stage, followed by work focused on applied science, and culminated with technological development, adapting the technology for implementation in production plants.
"This entire process required significant academic dedication, even within the companies themselves. We are very pleased that this development can finally be transferred and generate a positive impact on a significant sector of our country's economy. I would especially like to highlight the support and accompaniment of the Innovation Directorate team throughout this process.", said Enrione.
Paulo Díaz, a researcher at the School of Medicine, pointed out that "the transition from the laboratory bench to the process line is not trivial, and has required the participation of many people. It has been a very challenging process, but full of learnings.".